The common quail was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Tetrao coturnix.

[3] This species is now placed in the genus Coturnix that was introduced in 1764 by the French naturalist François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault.

[7] The ranges of the two species meet in Mongolia and near Lake Baikal without apparent interbreeding and in captivity the offspring of crosses show reduced fertility.

As befits its migratory nature, it has long wings, unlike the typically short-winged gamebirds.

According to Online Etymology Dictionary, "small migratory game bird of the Old World, late 14c.

It is notoriously difficult to see, keeping hidden in crops, and reluctant to fly, preferring to creep away instead.

The common quail has been introduced onto the island of Mauritius on several occasions but has failed to establish itself and is now probably extinct.

The female forms a shallow scrape in the ground 7–13.5 cm (2+3⁄4–5+1⁄4 in) in diameter which is sparsely lined with vegetation.

In 1537, Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, then pregnant with the future King Edward VI, developed an insatiable craving for quail, and courtiers and diplomats abroad were ordered to find sufficient supplies for the Queen.

[15][16][17] In the Bible, the Book of Numbers chapter 11 describes a story of a huge mass of quails that were blown by a wind and were taken as meat by the Israelites in the wilderness.